Afentra and its partners have confirmed an extension of the producing Pacassa oil field offshore Angola after successful drilling at the Pacassa Southwest well in Block 3/05, encountering a substantial oil-bearing interval in the fractured Albian Pinda carbonate reservoir.
Logging data identified about 217 metres of hydrocarbon-bearing section, including roughly 136 metres of net oil pay across good-quality and fractured reservoir intervals, with pressure data indicating limited depletion and suggesting the new accumulation is connected to the existing Pacassa field. The partners estimate the extension could hold up to 70 million barrels of recoverable oil.
The find is significant because it could be developed using existing Pacassa infrastructure, cutting the need for major new facilities and allowing a faster move from discovery to production. The well is being completed as an oil producer and connected to the existing production system, after which the rig will move to the Impala-2 development well — expected to take about 80 days to drill and, if successful, deliver an initial rate of around 4,000 barrels a day.
The campaign is part of a broader push by Afentra, Sonangol and their partners to squeeze more production from Angola’s mature offshore assets through near-field exploration and infill drilling, reinforcing Block 3/05’s potential and Angola’s push to sustain output and attract fresh upstream investment.
Source: angolanminingoilandgas.com
